Got to Columbus 2 hours late thanks to American Airlines and was picked up by Garrie Hill and John Lin, a young pre-med from Garrie's hometown who is at John's Hopkins who has raced for his college team and ridden across America - all on dfs of course.  Garrie was sponsoring him as well as me by loaning him a Virginia.  We drove to Springfield (home of the race) and hooked up with Bill Cook, owner of Barcroft recumbents and took off together to scout the 50 mile loop, make race notes, and shoot the bull.  We had dinner and dropped everyone off, and then garrie and I went to his shop, the "Carbon Mines" to pick up some stuff .
 
 
The race itself was a bust.  Garrie had not done any checking on the tica, having just gotten it back from Frank Geyer who won't  be doing any HPV racing at all this year apparently.  We got to his house too late for me to get out on the bike and give it a thorough test, which proved to be my undoing, along with not setting out for the race early enough to do a couple runs around the parking lot.  There was something rubbing on the rear wheel and I couldn't get the bike out of the small chainring.  Rolled up to the starting line just as everyone was about to take off - I was dead last in a field of 300  Recumbents were in FULL FORCE from the homebuilt lwb streamliner to Rich meyers in his funky naugahyde covered trike.  
 
Right as I got on the bike the thunderstorms began.  It had rained all night before but the ground was dry when we were driving to the race.  I took off anyway, figuring to stop a little ways off and fix the bike as best I could.  I could do the whole race in the middle ring anyway if I could get it to shift to that point.  That's when I noticed the crank was sitting off kilter by about 30 degrees.  How I missed it the first two miles I how NO idea.  
 
Stopped and adjusted the crank and that didn't fix the shifting problem.  Manually put the chain onto the second ring and it rubbed like crazy.  I rode it anyway.  The wind started blowing harder at this point.  Big fiercely stinging pelts of rain.  So much water on the road that I almost missed the sign for the first turn.  And Even with all this, I was was passing roadies constantly as everyone was buffeted by the wind.  Shortly it seemed there were as many people riding back and giving up as there were ahead.  I kept on for a little bit, and then the wind picked up again.  My glasses were so spotted I could barely see, and the wind was gusting up to 45 and moving my bike sideways several inches a couple times.  At one point, my bike is leaning nearly 45 degrees one direction, and my body 45 degrees in the other, just to keep it stable.  I kept going.  Then, on a small downhill I hit around 30mph and my back wheel started to hydroplane.  I couldn't even put on the brakes for fear of sliding and skidding.  I rode for maybe another mile and was tired of putting up with the constant stream of water hitting the back of my head from the wheel and my hands being so wet I couldn't turn the grip for the rear derailleur and I gave up and rode back to the start.  I'm disappointed in myself,  but it was probably the smartest thing I've ever done.    
 
So I got back to the van and changed clothes as chatted with Garrie, Gene Metcalf, Billy Peters, Marge Meyers, and all the support crew when we get a call from John.  The beast pushed hard coming up a hill and broke the chain.  I happened to have a quick link so Garrie and Gene went off to help him.  Unfortunately the derailleur and rear skewer also broke so John had to DNF about mile 70.  We left to get a BBQ lunch and go play with Garrie's toys at the carbon mine.
 
I don't have the whole story of the race yet.  Schlitter won, beating Danny Chew.  At one point Bill Hannon (he's got about 5-6 years on you, Bud) was in 3rd on his nocom.  Brass Balls, every one.  This Texan just isn't used to that much sky-water.
 
The rain stopped for a while, but the wind picked up and got worse.  The sun came out for about an hour so I got to take out Garrie's WAW velomobile for a nice long test run outside.  His shop his awesome.  His company has a 400,000 sq. foot building they only use 1/4 of, so Garrie uses the rest as his workshop where he makes anything and everything from carbon fiber and aluminized glass.  He even has an indoor test track that's probably a 1/5 mile loop.  It's also a museum.  Next post to have pics!
 
The time was not wasted.  I always learn a TON from Garrie.  For those who don't know him, he is the codesigner of the tour easy with Gardner Martin who eventually got the whole thing going.  Recumbents and bent racing wouldn't exist without Garrie, and he's the brain behind Battle Mountain and the decimach prize, among other things.
 
If you're into tweaking, building and modifying you need to get to know him.  He runs seminars on carbon fiber design and construction and does a million things for the bent community.  
 
 
 
 

some photos:
 
Mold for the varna:

 
alleweder velomobile:

 

 
Barcroft Oregon and the greenspeed prototype I raced last year.  The prototype has been changed by garrie recently and greenspeed given the go-ahead to produce it.  I rode the new model as well and it's MUCH improved.  Had a schlump drive and an 80 tooth chainring.
 

 
I can't remember which kind of stremliner mold this is:

 
That odd flevobike with internal chain.  Another example of Dutch overengineering.

 
A low phat pharobike.  VERY comfortable lowracer that has seen a lot of racing action:

 
2 windcheetahs and a catrike:

 
A flevobike moving bottom bracket bike

 
one half of Garrie's workshope AKA the carbon mine
 
Molds and plugs for the 55/55 project - garrie has modified the varna mold to support a trike to allow him ot achieve 55 miles an hour at age 55(ish)




 
A tailbox mold for the catrike 700:

 
Catrike speed

 
A razz fazz fairing.  Garrie is using it to make a mold from which he will be making me a tailbox for the TICA:

 
Carbon wheelcovers in the rough.  Must be seen to be believed.

 
The mold that my headrest is made from

 
One half of the mold for the tica's eventual carbon fiber boom.

 
80 (or was it 100) tooth chainring, made by Dennis Grelk and CNC milled..  Will be used to pwoer the 55/55 project.

 
GArrie posing with the original tour easy prototype he developed.

 
Getting into the WAW and a couple action shots:

 

 

 
Video of the WAW in action:

 

No, it's in Newark.  His home is in Granville.

Greg ,that enclosed bullet(orange thingy) is SWEEEEEEET! How cool was that ride?! You'd turn some heads at rally's with that baby! Well done. I'm jealous.
 

No, Ohio and Michigan are the meccas for recumbent cycling - apparently you just had no idea!
 
When you get ready to make the journey, let me know, and I'll put you in touch with Garrie.

Xenia has something like 300 miles of trails radiating from it.   You can get all the way from there to Cinci now.